Jirapa Dubai murder case: Family unhappy over transfer to Kumasi
The family of the murdered Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel, Mr Eric Johnson, has expressed disappointment over the transfer of the trial to Kumasi in the Ashanti region.
Three people were standing trial for the murder of Mr Johnson at the Wa High Court in the Upper West region.
However, the court suspended the case following claims by lawyers of the accused that the Chief Justice had directed that the case be transferred to Kumasi.
This left the family and residents of Jirapa who were present in court disappointed.
Principal State Attorney Saed Abdul Shakuur expressed surprise at the development.
He said the prosecution was ready to commence the trial with 11 witnesses when the court stopped proceedings to authenticate a letter presented by the lawyer of the first accused.
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“When we entered the court, the lawyer for the accused gave us a letter, purporting to be a letter from the CJ…instructing the district court to immediately transfer the matter to the High Court in Kumasi. But I think that there’s more. We have 11 witnesses. Seven of them are in Wa.
“Three are officers at the police regional headquarters. So, we intended to start the trial next week with the lawyers, and we have since had conferences with everybody; we have filed witness cases and everything, and so the case was about to start until this happened,” he said.
The family and some Jirapa residents have expressed their plans to resist the transfer.
They lamented the stress that the transfer to Kumasi would have on them.
They described the move as unjust, given that the murder occurred in Jirapa.
Therefore, they demand that the trial be held in Wa, where the crime occurred.
Meanwhile, the case has been adjourned to June 12, 2024.
Mr Johnson was murdered on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at his residence.